SV Austria Salzburg, Austrian football, Red Bull Salzburg and supporter ownership are the focus of this episode of Why We Love This Club, exploring how fans rebuilt their club after its traditional identity was transformed by a corporate takeover.

Founded originally in 1933, Austria Salzburg reached the 1994 UEFA Cup final, won three Austrian league titles and competed in the Champions League before Red Bull purchased the professional club in 2005. When violet and white were replaced by red and white, supporters formed Initiative Violett-Weiß and re-established SV Austria Salzburg from the lower leagues.

Chris traces the club’s remarkable climb from the seventh tier, repeated promotion battles, financial setbacks and eventual return to Austria’s 2. Liga. The episode also explores the symbolic 2023 cup meeting with Red Bull Salzburg, the Max Aicher Stadion, fan ownership and the continuing debate over football identity and continuity.

Current figures including Christian Schaider, Luca Meisl, Manuel Krainz, Christian Gebauer and Tamar Crnkić connect the rebuilt club to its next chapter.

It’s a story of supporter power, club identity and why Austria Salzburg’s violet colors became something worth fighting for.

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FC Rosengård, the Damallsvenskan and the changing landscape of Swedish women’s football are the focus of this episode of Why We Love This Club, exploring how one of Europe’s great independent women’s clubs went from near-perfection to a fight for survival.

Rooted in Malmö FF Dam and later known as LdB FC Malmö, Rosengård have won a record 14 Swedish league championships while developing and attracting stars including Marta, Caroline Seger, Therese Sjögran, Anja Mittag, Manon Melis and Lena Videkull.

Chris explores Rosengård’s identity in Malmö, its community programs, home at Malmö IP, and growing rivalry with the newly promoted women’s team of Malmö FF.

The episode also examines the dramatic contrast between Rosengård’s dominant 2024 title season and its struggles in 2025 and 2026, plus the return of coach Joel Kjetselberg and current players including Moa Edrud, Thea Sørbo, Ria Öling, Remy Siemsen and Anam Imo.

It’s a story about women’s football history, independence, professionalization and whether the clubs that built the game can survive the new era they helped create.

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If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Club Universidad Nacional, Pumas UNAM, Liga MX and Mexico City football culture are the focus of this episode of Why We Love This Club, exploring how one of Mexico’s most distinctive teams grew directly from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Founded as a professional club in 1954, Pumas UNAM have won seven Liga MX championships and three CONCACAF Champions Cups while building one of Mexican football’s most respected youth systems. Chris traces the club’s history through legends including Hugo Sánchez, Jorge Campos, Manuel Negrete, Luis García and Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti, along with the famous cantera that helped develop generations of Mexican internationals.

The episode also explores the Estadio Olímpico Universitario, its Diego Rivera mural and UNESCO World Heritage setting, plus the fierce Clásico Capitalino rivalry with Club América and major battles with Cruz Azul.

Modern Pumas feature Keylor Navas, Adalberto Carrasquilla, Pedro Vite, Uriel Antuna and Robert Morales, while new manager Esteban Solari attempts to end the club’s long Liga MX title drought.

It’s the story of a football club shaped by university identity, Mexican art, youth development and one of the most recognizable badges in world soccer.

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If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris.

The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TP Mazembe, the CAF Champions League and football in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are the focus of this episode of Why We Love This Club, exploring how a team from Lubumbashi became one of Africa’s most successful and internationally significant clubs.

Founded in 1939, TP Mazembe have won 20 Congolese league titles and five African championships while building a continental powerhouse under longtime president Moïse Katumbi. Chris traces the club’s rise through stars including Trésor Mputu, Robert Kidiaba, Stopilla Sunzu, Rainford Kalaba and Mbwana Samatta.

The centerpiece is Mazembe’s extraordinary 2010 FIFA Club World Cup run, when victories over Pachuca and Internacional made them the first African club ever to reach the final, where they faced Inter Milan.

The episode also explores the Lubumbashi derby with FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo, rivalry with AS Vita Club, the Stade TP Mazembe, the club’s mining-region identity, its powerful recruitment network and the success of the TP Mazembe women’s team, winners of the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League.

It’s the story of a Congolese superclub that permanently changed Africa’s place in global club football.

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If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris.

The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tokyo Verdy, the J1 League and the history of professional football in Japan are the focus of this episode of Why We Love This Club, exploring how Japan’s original superclub lost its dominance, spent 15 years in the second division and rebuilt itself around youth development and local identity.

Founded in 1969 as Yomiuri Football Club, Verdy became the inaugural J.League champions in 1993 and defended the title in 1994 behind stars including Kazuyoshi Miura, Ruy Ramos, Tsuyoshi Kitazawa and Bismarck. Chris traces the club’s move from Kawasaki to Tokyo, its rivalry with FC Tokyo, ownership crisis and long exile in J2.

The episode also covers Itsuki Someno’s dramatic 2023 promotion playoff penalty, Verdy’s return to J1, the importance of its academy, and the influence of Tokyo Verdy Beleza in Japanese women’s football.

Modern figures including Hiroshi Jofuku, Koki Morita, Hiroto Yamami and Daiki Fukazawa connect the rebuilt club to its ambitious past.

It’s a story of Japanese football, corporate power, relegation, community and how Tokyo Verdy learned that becoming local mattered more than remaining a national superclub.

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If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris.

The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, Brazilian Série A, Corinthians Democracy and São Paulo football culture are the focus of this episode of Why We Love This Club, exploring one of the most politically significant and passionately supported clubs in world football.

Founded in 1910 by railway workers inspired by England’s Corinthian Football Club, Corinthians grew into the “team of the people,” winning seven Brazilian championships, four Copa do Brasil titles, the Copa Libertadores and two FIFA-recognized world club championships.

Chris explores the famous Democracia Corinthiana movement of the early 1980s, when Sócrates, Wladimir, Walter Casagrande and Adílson Monteiro Alves introduced player and staff voting while Brazil remained under military dictatorship.

The episode also covers the Palmeiras Derby Paulista rivalry, the Neo Química Arena, the Fiel supporter culture, legends including Basílio, Marcelinho Carioca, Ronaldo, Cássio and Paolo Guerrero, and Corinthians’ dominant women’s team.

Modern names including Fernando Diniz, Yuri Alberto, Memphis Depay, Jesse Lingard, Hugo Souza and Breno Bidon connect that history to the current club.

It’s a story of football, politics, working-class identity and why Corinthians remain one of Brazil’s defining institutions.

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If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris.

The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bury FC, Gigg Lane and the club’s remarkable rise through English non-league football are the focus of this episode of Why We Love This Club, exploring how supporters rebuilt one of England’s oldest football institutions after its 2019 EFL expulsion.

Founded in 1885, Bury Football Club won two FA Cups, spent decades in the Football League and developed players including Colin Bell, Neville Southall, Lee Dixon and Nick Pope. But financial collapse under owner Steve Dale left players unpaid and ultimately saw the EFL remove Bury from the league.

Chris traces the extraordinary supporter-led recovery: the creation of Bury AFC, the campaign to purchase Gigg Lane, and the eventual merger that reunited the historic name, stadium and football team under community ownership.

The episode also covers Bury’s back-to-back promotions in 2024–25 and 2025–26, manager Anthony Johnson, leading scorer Kai Evans, and the club’s new challenge in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

It’s a story about fan ownership, football finance, community identity and what really remains when a football club’s company collapses.

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If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris.

The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1. FFC Turbine Potsdam, the Frauen-Bundesliga and German women’s football history are the focus of this episode of Why We Love This Club, exploring how an independent women’s club rose from East Germany to become a European powerhouse.

Founded in 1971, Turbine Potsdam developed under longtime coach Bernd Schröder, surviving political restrictions in the German Democratic Republic before emerging after reunification as one of Europe’s elite women’s teams. Chris traces the club’s six unified German championships, three German Cups and two European titles, including the historic 2010 UEFA Women’s Champions League final against Lyon.

The episode features legendary players including Nadine Angerer, Anja Mittag, Conny Pohlers, Ariane Hingst and Tabea Kemme, while examining the importance of Turbine’s renowned academy and the Karl-Liebknecht-Stadion.

Chris also explores Turbine’s modern struggle to compete with increasingly wealthy women’s teams backed by Bundesliga giants, recent relegations, and the rebuilding effort under Steen Gravgaard Ladefoged.

It’s the story of a club that proved women’s football could create its own history, supporters, academy and European champions without relying on a famous men’s team.

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If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris.

The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FC Sheriff Tiraspol, Moldovan football, Transnistria and the UEFA Champions League are the focus of this episode of Why We Love This Club, exploring one of the strangest and most politically complicated clubs in world football.

Founded in 1997 and backed by the powerful Sheriff corporation, FC Sheriff quickly transformed Moldova’s football hierarchy, winning 20 league titles and 14 Moldovan Cups while operating from Tiraspol, the capital of the unrecognized territory of Transnistria.

Chris traces Sheriff’s rise through its rivalry with Zimbru Chișinău, the development of the Sheriff Arena, and the international recruitment model that made the club a regular presence in UEFA competition.

The centerpiece is Sheriff’s extraordinary 2021 Champions League run under Yuriy Vernydub, featuring victories over Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu, where Sébastien Thill scored one of the competition’s most memorable late winners.

The episode also explores Sheriff’s connection to Transnistrian politics and business, the impact of the war in Ukraine, and the modern squad’s attempt to reclaim domestic dominance.

It’s the story of a club that is simultaneously a football powerhouse, corporate project, and symbol of a territory the world does not recognize as a country.

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If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris.

The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Auckland City FC, the OFC Champions League and New Zealand football are the focus of this episode of Why We Love This Club, exploring how an amateur, membership-run club became the most successful team in Oceania.

Founded in 2004 and rooted in Auckland’s Croatian immigrant football community, Auckland City FC have won 13 OFC Champions League titles and repeatedly represented Oceania at the FIFA Club World Cup. Chris traces the club’s remarkable 2014 run to third place, featuring Ivan Vicelich, Ryan De Vries and Ramón Tribulietx, and its unforgettable 2025 Club World Cup draw with Boca Juniors after matches against Bayern Munich and Benfica.

The episode also explores the club’s home at Kiwitea Street, links to Central United, volunteer-driven structure, dominance of New Zealand football and rivalry with Wellington Olympic.

Current figures including Rudy Mozr, Regont Murati, Gerard Garriga and Angus Kilkolly help carry forward a club whose players still balance football with jobs and study.

Auckland City’s story is about how community, continuity and amateur football can still reach the world stage.

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If you enjoyed this show, you may like these other soccer podcasts by Chris.

The Beautiful Game: Unfiltered

The Underdog Football Show

Thanks for listening!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.